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Place An Image In Text

With PhotoshopWritten by Steve Patterson. In this Text

Effects tutorial, we’re going to learn how

to place an image in text, a very

popular effect to create in Photoshop,

and one that also happens to be very

easy to do thanks to the power of

clipping masks, as we’re about to see!

Here’s the effect we’re going for:

The final “image in text” effect.

Let’s get started!

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Step 1: Open A Photo To Place Inside Your Text

First, we need the image that we’re

going to place inside of our text. I’ll use

this panoramic photo of Hawaii:

An ocean view from Hawaii.

Step 2: Duplicate The Background Layer

If we look in the Layers palette, we can

see that we currently have one layer,

named Background. This layer contains

our image. We need to duplicate this

layer, and the easiest way to do that is

by using the keyboard

shortcut Ctrl+J (Win) / Command+J (M

ac). If we look once again in the Layers

palette, we see that we now have two

layers. The original Background layer is

on the bottom, and a copy of the

Background layer, which Photoshop

automatically named “Layer 1″, is sitting

above it:

Photoshop’s Layers palette.

Step 3: Add A New Blank Layer Between The Two Layers

Next, we need to add a new blank layer

between the Background layer and

“Layer 1″. Currently, “Layer 1″ is the

layer that’s selected in the Layers

palette. We can tell which layer is

selected because the selected layer is

always highlighted in blue. Normally,

when we add a new layer, Photoshop

places the new layer directly above

whichever layer is currently selected,

which means that Photoshop would

place the layer above “Layer 1″. That’s

not what we want. We want the new

layer to be placed below “Layer 1″.

Here’s a useful trick. To add a new layer

below the currently selected layer, hold

down your Ctrl (Win) / Command (Mac)

key and click on the New Layer icon at

the bottom of the Layers palette.

Holding down Ctrl (Win) / Command

(Mac) is the trick to placing the layer

below the currently selected layer:

Hold down “Ctrl” (Win) / “Command” (Mac) and

click on the New Layer icon in the Layers

palette.

We now have a new blank layer named

“Layer 2″ sitting directly between the

Background layer and “Layer 1″:

The Layers palette showing the new blank

layer between the Background layer and

“Layer 1″.

Step 4: Fill The New Layer With White

At the moment, our new layer is

completely blank. Let’s fill it with white

so it will appear as a white background

after we’ve placed our image inside the

text. Go up to the Edit menu at the top

of the screen and choose Fill. This will

bring up Photoshop’s Fill dialog box.

Select White for the Contents option at

the top of the dialog box, then click OK

to exit out of the dialog box:

Select White for the Contents option at the top

of the Fill command’s dialog box.

Nothing will appear to have happened in

the document window, since the image

on “Layer 1″ is blocking “Layer 2″ from

view, but if we look at the layer preview

thumbnail for “Layer 2″ in the Layers

palette, we can see that sure enough,

the layer is now filled with solid white:

The preview thumbnail for “Layer 2″ shows that

the layer is now filled with white.

Step 5: Select “Layer 1″ In The Layers Palette

It’s time to add our text, but in order to

see the text when we add it, we’ll need

to have the text appear above “Layer 1″,

otherwise the image on “Layer 1″ will

block the text from view. To make sure

we can see our text, click on “Layer 1″ in

the Layers palette to select it. This way,

as soon as we begin typing, Photoshop

will create a new type layer for us and

place the type layer directly above

“Layer 1″:

Click on “Layer 1″ in the Layers palette to

select it.

Step 6: Select The Type Tool

To add the text, we’ll need

Photoshop’s Type Tool, so select the

Type Tool from the Tools palette. You

can also quickly select the Type Tool by

pressing the letter T on your keyboard:

Select the Type Tool.

Step 7: Choose A Font In The Options Bar

With the Type Tool selected, go up to

the Options Bar at the top of the

screen and choose whichever font you

want to use for the effect. Generally,

fonts with thick letters work best. I’m

going to choose Arial Black. Don’t worry

about the font size for now:

Select a font in the Options Bar.

Step 8: Set White As Your Foreground Color

This step isn’t absolutely necessary, but

to help me see my text, I’m going to

use white for my text color. The color

you choose for your text doesn’t really

matter since we’ll be filling the text with

an image in a moment, but it still helps

to be able to see the text when we’re

adding it. To set the text color to white,

all we need to do is set

Photoshop’s Foreground color to

white. First, press the letter D on your

keyboard, which will reset the

Foreground and Background colors to

their defaults. Black is the default color

for the Foreground color and white is the

default color for the Background color.

To swap them so white becomes the

Foreground color, press the letter Xon

your keyboard. If you look at the

Foreground and Background color

swatches near the bottom of the Tools

palette, you’ll see that white is now the

Foreground color (the left swatch):

Setting the Foreground color to white sets the

text color to white as well.

Step 9: Add Your Text

With the Type Tool selected, your font

chosen and white as your Foreground

color, click inside your document

window and add your text. Since I’m

using a photo of an ocean scene in

Hawaii, I’m going to type the word

“HAWAII”:

Click inside the document and add your text.

When you’re done, click on

the checkmark up in the Options Bar to

accept the text.

Click on the checkmark in the Options Bar to

accept the text.

Step 10: Resize and Reposition The Text With The Free Transform Command

You’ll probably need to resize and

reposition your text at this point, and we

can do both of those things using

Photoshop’s Free

Transform command.

Press Ctrl+T (Win) / Command+T (Mac

) on your keyboard to bring up the Free

Transform box and handles around your

text, then drag any of the handles to

resize the text. If you want to resize the

text without distorting the look of it,

hold down your Shift key and drag any

of the four corner handles. You can also

resize the text from its center by holding

down the Alt (Win) / Option (Mac) key

as you drag. Finally, to move the text,

click anywhere inside the Free

Transform box and drag your mouse to

move the text around inside the

document window:

Use Photoshop’s Free Transform command to

resize and move the text.

Press Enter (Win) / Return (Mac) when

you’re done to accept the

transformation and exit out of the Free

Transform command.

Step 11: Drag The Text Layer Below “Layer 1″

Now that we have our text the way we

want it, we need to move the type layer

below the text in the Layers palette.

Click on the text layer, then simply drag

it down below “Layer 1″. You’ll see a

thick black line appear between “Layer

1″ and “Layer 2″:

Drag the type layer below “Layer 1″.

Release your mouse button when the

black line appears to drop the type layer

into place between "Layer 1" and "Layer

2":

The type layer now appears between “Layer 1″

and “Layer 2″.

Step 12: Select “Layer 1″ Again

Click once again on “Layer 1″ in the

Layers palette to select it:

The type layer now appears between “Layer 1″

and “Layer 2″.

The text will temporarily disappear

inside the document window now that

the image on “Layer 1″ is blocking it

from view.

Step 13: Create A Clipping Mask

To create the illusion that the photo is

inside the text, we need to use

a clipping mask. This will “clip” the

photo on “Layer 1″ to the text on the

layer directly below it. Any areas of the

photo that appear directly above the

letters will remain visible in the

document. The rest of the photo will

disappear from view.

With “Layer 1″ selected in the Layers

palette, go up to the Layer menu at the

top of the screen and choose Create

Clipping Mask:

Go to Layer > Create Clipping Mask.

If we look in the document window, we

can see that the photo now appears to

be inside the text:

The photo now appears inside the letters.

Step 14: Add A Drop Shadow (Optional)

To complete my effect, I’m going to add

a drop shadow to the letters. If you want

to follow along, first select the type

layer in the Layers palette, then click on

the Layer Styles icon at the bottom of

the Layers palette:

Select the type layer, then click on the Layer

Styles icon.

Select Drop Shadow from the list of

layer styles that appears:

Select the Drop Shadow layer style.

This brings up Photoshop’s Layer

Style dialog box set to the Drop

Shadow options in the middle column.

I’m going to leave most of the options

alone, but I’ll lower the Opacity of the

drop shadow down to about 60% so it’s

not quite so intense, and I’ll set

the Angle of the drop shadow to 120°:

The Layer Style dialog box displaying the

options for the Drop Shadow.

Click OK when you’re done to apply the

drop shadow an exit out of the Layer

Style dialog box. Here is my final “image

in text” effect:

The final “image in text” effect.

And there we have it!

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